Holistic Child Development
Consultation for pastors and Theologically educated
August 2009
The National Workshop on Holistic Child development
25-27
August 2009
Rev. Reji Samuel Welcomed the participants and
Introduced the program . Dr. Mani Chacko inaugurated the program He
highlighted the following points in his talk.
I. Children Do matter
Bring forth about the desperate conditions of the Children in India.
Children are experiencing the discrimination in all the spheres of
society and church.
Their rights are not the
matter and even insignificant.
Brought forth 10
principles, this provides holistic child development
Discussed the two Beacons of
light in Holistic Child development
They are DR.Maria Montessori
and Jesus Christ
Challenge is that it requires
right perspect and recognize the child as “wonder”
We should be “ The Champions of the Children”
It is you and me.
Create an environment for the
healthy growth
Enhance the
ability to grow
Affect the
life of children
Mr. Thomas Swaroop from Compassion
International
II.
Identifying Children –in- Crisis in India- An overview of the trends and
responses
Addressed as it is a appreciate
time to think the needs of the children as they are vulnerable in all the respect.
They are exploited due to the
poverty
Children issues
are discussed as below
Ø Malnutrition
Ø Health
Ø Out of school
Ø Drop out from the school
Ø Child laboring
Ø Street children
Ø Girl Child
Ø Child trafficking and prostitution
Advocated some steps towards
achieving Holistic Child Development
goals.
25th August,2009
Session-2
Mr. Thomas Swaroop
III.Understanding Children in
Poverty
v Why care for Children
·
1. Children Have rights
·
God’s concern for Children
·
Children are our future
·
Children being marginalized
·
To analyses the issues
·
To explore the possible
solutions
·
To determined and involved
v Challenges of Children
o Poverty
o Malnutrition
o Street Children
o Child labor
o Out of school
o Girl Child
o Child trafficking and prostitution
v Contributing factors
§
Poverty and unemployment
§
Drug abuse
§
Expansion of organized crime
§
Corruption
§
Low status of Girls
§
Moral decay and depravity
§
Access to pornography
§
Lack of Education
§
Lack of political will.
v Impact
ü
Long- Lasting diseases
ü
HIV/ AIDS
ü
Violence
ü
Drug addiction
ü
Unwanted pregnancy
ü
Malnutrition
ü
Poverty
ü
Death
____________________________________________________________________
25-08-2009
Session-3
Rev.Lawrence Mangalrajan from compassion , Chennai
Models of Holistic Child Development
1.
Understanding of Poverty and Development
Poverty as
Deficit
Poverty as capability depravation
Poverty as
denial of choices and opportunities
Poverty as a
lack of access to social power
Poverty as
Entanglement
Poverty as pronounced deprivation of well being
Poverty as multi
dimensional and complex
Poverty is in
inclusive, cultural, social and political and economical in nature.
Poverty as Broken relationship ( Myer)
2.
Some theories of Poverty
3.
Some theories of development
1. Development as Growth
2. Development as Human Development
3. Development as Human
rights and freedom
4. Development as Well- being
5. Development as restored relationship
6. Development as Transformation
v Partner Development
outcomes
¨ Demonstrates effective vision and leadership
¨ Mobilizes resources
¨ Establishes efficient structures and management
¨ Reflects local ownership
v Holistic Development
Luke.2:55
•
Social
Physical
•
Economic /Educational
•
Spiritual
________________________________________________________________________
26Th August,2009(
Wednesday)
4th Session
Ms. Anita Kanaiya
( Oasis)
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation
v Child trafficking
Two real life
stories
Young people may
run away but Children
90% Children
live in India in the world
India2007: Study
on Child abuse
Physical abuse
Social abuse
Emotional abuse
Neglect of Girl
child
The findings
Sexual abuse
11 MILLION Children live
on the streets.
Strongest character of Children is Trust
Commercial sexual exploitation
Child trafficking
Children make up half the number of people
trafficked each year 1.2. Million
Parents sell children for as little as Rs.1200
Traffickers circle natural disasters sites
looking for orhphans
Trafficked
children are forced to become prostitutes, soldiers, camel jockeys (Middle
East), and factory workers.
How
Children are trafficked
Pretend to be benefactors of the families of
the victims
v What are Children
trafficked for?
People are trafficked for
Ø commercial sexual exploitation
Ø Begging
Ø Military service
Ø Forced illegal adoption
Ø Forced marriage
Ø Religious prostitution
Ø Sex tourism
Ø Pornography
Ø Trading in organs
Ø Drug trafficking
1 out of the
world’s malnourished children
v Other form of sexual
abuse
·
Incest-
Incest between a child or adolescent and related adult has been
identified as the most widespread form of sexual penetration
·
Sexual assault-
·
Sexual molestation
·
Sexual grooming
v
Effects of abuse in a child
Physical harm
Injury
Infections
Neurological and psychological damage
Depression
Post-traumatic stress
v Legal loopholes
There is no central law on child abuse
v Our biblical mandate
Matt.18:4, 5, 6.
v Challenge
Enormous problems demand enormous solutions
Will you remain
silent?
Or do you have
the courage to make a difference and standup
26th August,2009 (Wednesday))
Session-5
Perspectives
on Children and Their Develoment
Rev.
Lawrence Mangalrajan
v Major Themes
•
CREATION
•
FALL
•
SALVATION/REDEMPTION/RESTORATION
v
Child in Creation
•
Gift of God
- Psalm 127: 3-5
•
Image of God – Gen. 1: 26 &
27
•
Choice before the creation Eh.
1: 4
•
Our very hair is numbered Math
10:30
•
Blessedness of children - OT language
v Children & Fall
·
Pain in childbearing Gen 3:15
•
Children at risk of deprivation
2 Kings 5:1-6
•
Jesus’ birth - 4 depravity
•
Miscarriage
•
Birth related risk – cattle
shed
•
Risk of being killed by herod
•
Refugee – exodus
v
Child and Restoration….
Child and the Kingdom of God
v
What is Kingdom of God
•
Dynamic reign OR Kingly rule of
GOD – Sphere in which the rule is
•
Essence – Is acceptance of His
rule
•
Qualities- righteousness/joy/peace…
•
Kingdom Belongs to all –open for all
•
People of God’s rule, who enter it, live under it and are governed by it.
•
v
Children and Kingdom of God
Children as recipients
of Kingdom Mark10:13-16.
•
Children as a model to the
Kingdom Mark 10:15.
•
Welcoming the child inaugurates
the Kingdom Mark 9:33-37 –informs social
practice toward children & they strengthen the faith in Jesus.
v
Isaiah’s vision
•
V 20 – Longevity of Life
•
-
No IMR
•
V 23 – No child labor
(misfortune) –children enjoying their childhood. CRC.
•
Child Friendly Atmosphere.
27-08-2009 ( Thursday)
6th Session
Mrs. Mary Paul
( Vathsalya Organization)
Holistic Child Development – Psychological
perspective
o
For Holistic development it is
the need of family and parents
o
All children have
right to be protected
o
Categories of Children who may be without
parental care
o
Changes in attitude of care givers ( Foster
parents willing to care for the severely challenged . Foster care/home is better than the orphanage)
o
Adoption- Child gets legal status. Natural
inheritance
o
Changes in perception
o
Change in policies
o
Need to converge (Govt. Dialogue
with NGO’)
v The five love languages of
Children
·
1. Physical Love
Physical Touch- Hug- Age wise
·
2. Words of Affirmation-
Words of
Praise,
Words of
encouragement,
Words of guidance
·
3. Quality time
Being together
Story telling and
conversion
Planning for quiet time
·
4. Gifts
The grace of giving
·
5. Acts of service
Making service appropriate to
age.
Being role models
v
Obvious things about Children
o
They are Children
o
They tend to act like children
v
How to communicate your love to Children
v
Effective control of your
child’s Behavior-
v
Issuing commands- Negative means of control- Less effective
v
Punishment- correction should be free from your feelings
(Angry)
“We want to see our children to behave well.”
Love Tank- Fill them with Love again and
again
Children are our extension
Imp. Question!
What would you do if a child is
seen in streets and abandoned?
______________________________________________________
27-08-2009.(Thursday)
7Th Session
D.R.J.Prasad Phillips
Caring Child care givers: Issues and Challenges
v Biblical foundations:
Child care, Service and Mission
·
The importance of Children
·
Service and Child care
·
Child and Church
Ø
Image of God
Ø
Children in the church and
outside the church
Ø
Children Friendly Churches (
time of Lord Supper distributing chocolates)
v Mission and Children
Ø
Children objects and subject of
Mission
Ø
Children should be in our mission agenda
Ø
Children should have major role in many many families
Ø
Family transformation through children-
( Mal.3: Last verse)
Ø
Children needs parental care
Ø
How children can play the role of fathers/
mothers when they grow up
v Child care: People and policies
·
Policies,
People and partners
Ø
Church/NGO’s- Organized/unorganized
Ø
Sunday School
Ø
Child protection policies?
Ø
Practical programs outside of the church?
Ø
Parents with single children
·
Help
and Support
·
Child Care Givers in the
Church
Ø
Sunday School Teachers
Ø
Children- 4/14 window
Ø
Committee members
Ø
Pastors
Ø
Congregation
Ø
v Training and it’s
challenges
·
Methods and Models
Ø
On Job training
Ø
Special seminars/consultations/Advocacy
·
Issues and challenges
Ø
Theological seminars
Ø
Course books
Ø
Modules
Ø
Trainers
·
Training the trainers
Conclusion
Who
are the child care givers? Church
27TH
August,2009 (Thursday)
Session-8
Dr. Sarasu Thomas
Religion
and Juvenile justice
v Religion as a right
It is both a civil and political right
·
Who is a child?
Not attained 18 years old ( Less than 18 years old)
·
The unit
v
Religion and Children
In India, every child is assigned a religion
at birth and the law pertaining to that religion is applied
A child may thus belong to a particular religious group by
Ø Birth if both parents belong
to the same religious group
Ø Birth if one parent belongs to a particular religious group and the
child is brought
India has the following rights which are relevant in the context of
religion
Ø Freedom of thought and expression
Ø Freedom of beliefs
Ø Freedom of religion including
the right to practice, propagate and preach
Ø Protection from exploitation
v
Rights of Cultural groups
Ø To set up and administer
educational institutions
v It Is unfortunate that, many religious beliefs are also
Ø Patriarchal- Superiority of males over females
Ø Insular- Creating a strong sense of keeping away from “the other”
among children
Ø Stereotyping- creating prejudices on many lanes right from worship
modes, clothing, food references and others
v Religious practices which
are downright harmful
·
Sati
·
The Devadasi
system
·
Female circumcision/FGM(female genital
mutilation)
·
Tonsure
·
Prohibition of contraception
·
Denial of medical care
v
The Child
Rights Convention- 1989
·
Autonomy
·
Best interest of the child
principle
·
Child participation
v
Child has a right
·
To chose religion
In India
however, children are not given right to choose religion
v
Due to pressure from religious/ cultural groups, we still have
·
Child marriage
·
Dowry
·
Sexual selective abortions (
Gender finding)
·
Illiteracy and school drop outs
v
A Child is seen as
·
A future citizen who will be
vested with important rights to vote
·
A Future adult who must be
appropriately socialized to fit into the role her community has envisioned
v
A child is not seen to
·
Fulfill any role now
·
Have any voice now
·
Have any rights now
v
Cutting across religion we see
·
Child sexual abuse both at home
·
Corporal punishments sometimes
leading to death
·
Discrimination against girls
Very
rarely parents are hauled up because
Children are seen as the property
of their parents
Law governing
child violence
Criminal laws
dealing with offences against the person assault, battery
v
Juvenile justice Act,2000
Defines cruelty
to the child
Provides for a system of termination of parent
rights
Provides for
children in need
v
Religion can play a positive role
·
Challenging stereotypes
·
Being watchdog against Child
abuse
·
Setting up institutions like
schools, hospitals etc to further the best interest of the Child
·
Recognizing the right of the
child to participate in and exercise her own opinions on matters of religion
·
Giving the child an identity in
a multicultural world
Concluding
Remarks- Dr. Mani Chacko ( Director-ECC)
Text: Matthew.25:41-46
Jesus-
I was
hungry,
I was
thirsty,
I was a
stranger,
I was
sick,
I was in
prison,
I was
naked
What you did?
What will be the
answer?
4 Principles for reading the Bible
1.
Principle of Going beyond
Think relevantly, Be
in context of today
2. Principle of Critical and theological
imagination –
Invent the insights
3. Principle of engage in liberating
enterprises-
Contemporary Issues like poverty,
child labour, abuse
4. Principle of relive and review/ revision
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